Chapter 8: 1953 – 1968

On 12th June 1953 two of the club members, S Ó Raghallaigh and L Ó Cuirc, spoke at
the club about their journey and experiences in Spain. In Madrid, Valencia
and Barcelona they met many Esperantists who helped them a great deal. In
Valencia they visited the local Esperanto Group, which met daily,
and a local Esperantist hosted them. In Barcelona their hotelier was an
Esperantist, and in the window of a big shop near the hotel was the
announcement “Oni parolas Esperanton” [Esperanto spoken].

The May
and June numbers of the children’s periodical Junior Digest in 1953
printed excellent long articles about Esperanto, and as a result the club
received 100 requests for information and learning-books. On 18th August an Esperantist from Trieste visited the
club.

In
October 1953 Mr Frank Riley presented an International Song Evening with
songs and gramophone records, and Miss Doris Norton sang sweetly.
Arrangements were begun for an Irish contingent to the 39th World Esperanto Congress at Haarlem, the Netherlands, in 1954.

From the
end of 1953 to 1968 we don’t have much information about the movement in
Ireland because the Notes in the Evening Mail ceased to
appear. We know that the Club in North Frederick Street lasted for many
years. Unfortunately, Lorcán Ó hUiginn, President of the Irish Esperanto
Association, emigrated to Toronto, Canada, where until his death he took
part in the Canadian Esperanto movement and published Esperanto learning
books in English and French.

After
the departure of Lorcán the Irish Esperanto Association reorganised.
Jeremy Addis became President and P J O’Reilly was Secretary. The
Treasurer was Ken McKnight. They did a great deal of campaigning for
Esperanto and arranged publication, in large number, of two excellent
multicoloured leaflets – one for Bord Fáilte (the Tourist Board)
and the other for Aer Lingus (the national airline). They also
printed a leaflet about Dublin.

In this
period many articles about Esperanto appeared in the Irish-language
newspaper Inniu. Earnan De Blaghd (Ernest Blythe), Minister in the
Irish government and head of the Abbey Theatre, often wrote in Inniu about the problem of international communication and was very much in
favour of Esperanto.

Dr
Micheál Mac Liammoir, world famous actor and intellectual, several times
proposed that four languages be taught in all Irish schools – Irish,
English, French and Esperanto.

In 1968
a long article by Liam Ó Cuirc about Esperanto appeared in the Sunday
Independent. In the same year the Irish Esperanto Association
announced that, by its invitation, the 53rd British Esperanto
Congress would be held at Trinity College, Dublin, at Easter (4th – 7th April) 1969.